32nd Meow

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“Hello,^[1]Polite form was used. this is the Royal Afternoon Tea Set that Mr. Huo specially ordered for the two distinguished guests.”

Going back in time a bit, when He Yunzhou heard the lobby manager solemnly say this to him, he was actually quite surprised.

Of course, this surprise wasn’t due to the luxurious afternoon tea set itself, which was indeed eye-catching, but rather because he had never expected to run into that man outside his own home.

The lobby manager skillfully avoided mentioning the obviously unusual circumstances under which Huo Zheng had unexpectedly spied on He Yunzhou and the other person. Instead, he focused the conversation on the expensive afternoon tea set itself.

According to his courteous explanation, Huo Zheng was preoccupied with some urgent and special matters and couldn’t come over to greet them when he saw his friends in the Western restaurant, so he ordered the afternoon tea to express his regards.

(It made logical sense… but why did something still feel slightly off?)

He Yunzhou didn’t show it on the surface, but he couldn’t help feeling a faint sense of doubt due to the lobby manager’s explanation.

However, with Xiao Xi listening curiously beside him, He Yunzhou, still in shock, didn’t have time to ask more questions. He then saw the lobby manager quickly withdraw from his sight, replaced by a steady stream of high-end teas, coffees, and various savory and sweet snacks being laid out next to their table.

Needless to say, this rather lavish afternoon tea even drew the attention of many people in the hall. After the initial surprise, Xiao Xi completely immersed herself in the process of taking countless photos and selfies with the exquisite treats. He Yunzhou later even saw a nine-photo collage of the entire afternoon tea set in Xiao Xi’s social media feed, which garnered numerous inquiries and envious comments—though that was a story for another time.

At least at this moment, He Yunzhou didn’t feel any of the pleasure that the high-end afternoon tea was supposed to bring. He could only sit stiffly, forcibly suppressing the unease that arose purely from his intuition.

He Yunzhou couldn’t help but raise his hand and once again touch the back of his neck.

That earlier feeling of being watched… was it Huo Zheng?

He couldn’t stop thinking about it.

And when Xiao Xi finally calmed down a bit, she couldn’t help but poke He Yunzhou’s arm, her face full of curiosity as she asked about Huo Zheng.

“Chuan-ge, my da ge… just who exactly is this Mr. Huo of yours ah?! Wow, your relationship with him is really good…”

“Eh…” He Yunzhou was momentarily at a loss for words when Xiao Xi asked him this.

Huo Zheng’s reason… and their relationship…

He Yunzhou suddenly realized that he didn’t know how to answer Xiao Xi.

It was then that He Yunzhou discovered he didn’t seem to have really paid attention to anything about Huo Zheng outside of dining.

“Just neighbors.” He Yunzhou answered somewhat dryly and, after thinking for a moment, he added, “But we often eat together.”

After he said this, He Yunzhou felt a slight movement in his heart, a feeling of indescribable, almost guilt-like sensation.

“Wow, a neighbor you eat with so often? Wow, that’s amazing. I wish I had a neighbor like that too…” Xiao Xi sighed enviously, holding her face.

“It’s no wonder our Chuan-ge has so many wealthy people around him. Speaking of which, last time that super handsome guy was also—”

As Xiao Xi stuffed almond cookies with condensed milk into her mouth, she mumbled unconsciously, completely oblivious to the change in He Yunzhou’s expression when she reached the last part of her sentence.

“This rose cheesecake looks delicious. Do you want to try it?” Before Xiao Xi could finish her sentence, He Yunzhou quickly handed the cake from the dessert stand to her, successfully diverting her attention.

He Yunzhou sighed in relief when he saw Xiao Xi’s eyes light up at the sight of the cake, as she indeed did not continue the topic that made him particularly uncomfortable.

For the rest of the time, He Yunzhou tried to keep the conversation focused on the afternoon tea. He didn’t know how to handle Xiao Xi’s curiosity about Huo Zheng and didn’t want this tea session to remind Xiao Xi of “that person.” Thus, by the end of the afternoon tea, He Yunzhou was utterly exhausted.

By the time he had to part ways with Xiao Xi, He Yunzhou was so tired that he almost forgot about Editor Ding and the matter of <Divine Cat>

“Burp—Chuan-ge, after eating your afternoon tea—well, although your foodie friend sponsored it—I’m still on your side,” Before getting into the car, Xiao Xi wiped her mouth and forcefully patted He Yunzhou’s shoulder, declaring boldly, “Just wait, I won’t let the matter with Editor Ding go unresolved with the publisher. I won’t let them bully you like this. Wait for my news.”

Hearing Xiao Xi’s declaration, He Yunzhou sighed softly in his heart.

“It’s okay, just do what you can. It’s not a big deal.” He said.

He Yunzhou actually knew very well that Xiao Xi’s excitement and happiness this afternoon had a bit of an act to it.

When the illustration job for <Divine Cat> landed on He Yunzhou, Xiao Xi was overjoyed, but Editor Ding’s last-minute cancellation today would have made Xiao Xi equally upset.

He Yunzhou didn’t even dare to think about how low the atmosphere would have been if Huo Zheng hadn’t come through with that incredibly luxurious high tea while they were sitting in that fancy Western restaurant.

Thankfully, those wonderful pastries, rich-flavored teas, and aromatic coffee… were the best things that happened during an otherwise unpleasant afternoon.

In this regard, no matter how many times He Yunzhou said “thank you” to Huo Zheng, it wouldn’t be enough.

He Yunzhou stood under the stone porch of the hotel building, lost in thought for a moment.

Actually, once Xiao Xi left, he should have gone home according to his original plan, but he didn’t know why he continued to linger in this place which made him feel so uncomfortable, with his mind repeatedly thinking about Huo Zheng.

He Yunzhou knew he was a bit of a slowpoke; he had to work very hard to discern the true meaning behind what others said and their real intentions behind various behaviors.

But despite being slow, in other aspects, He Yunzhou had a strange and inexplicable sharpness.

Just like during Gua Ji’s early stage of illness, there were clearly no symptoms, but He Yunzhou still inexplicably felt uneasy and anxious—as if someone was telling him that his beloved cat had a problem.

After Gua Ji died, He Yunzhou repeatedly asked himself if, at that time, he could have been more attentive and followed his intuition more carefully, and taken Gua Ji to the vet earlier, would Gua Ji not have died?

If only he had detected it from the beginning, that proud cat was actually enduring discomfort.

Every single day, He Yunzhou couldn’t help but think this way. Because cats are such resilient creatures, they are so good at enduring and hiding all their pain—and as a human, he should have known that.

When Gua Ji first fell ill, it began to unusually hunt all the small insects in the house it could catch, and then, while He Yunzhou slept, it would carefully place those insects under its pillow.

At that time, He Yunzhou had no idea that it was because Gua Ji had sensed something and wanted to store what it saw as emergency rations for its weak and useless owner.

However, He Yunzhou completely ignored its mood.

He Yunzhou thought he was almost out of the shadow of Gua Ji’s death, but inexplicably, today he seemed to have returned to that time.

Huo Zheng…

Was he also enduring something?

He Yunzhou knew that his thoughts were really vain and baseless.

For someone like Huo Zheng, an exceptionally handsome and wealthy young master, there couldn’t be a shortage of people caring for him. It was laughable for an ordinary otaku like He Yunzhou, just because he happened to be the man’s neighbor, to want to care for him.

But despite understanding this reasoning… whenever He Yunzhou thought of Huo Zheng, he couldn’t help but recall Gua Ji’s earnest manner of placing little bugs under his pillow.

He Yunzhou couldn’t help but take out his phone and typed out a message. After sending the usual thank you note, he, almost unconsciously, added one more sentence.

[A Little Boat Swaying: After you finish your work, do you want to come to my place for some soup?]

He Yunzhou stared at the sentence for a moment, hesitated slightly, then deleted it and edited the message.

[A Little Boat Swaying: I’m planning to make bamboo fungus chicken soup today. Would you like to come to my place for some soup?]

Then, he pressed the send button.

…

Inside the hotel, just a few dozen meters away from He Yunzhou, Huo Zheng stared at the newly received message, utterly stunned.

“Mr. Huo… Mr. Huo…”

Even the calls from the lobby manager sounded like they were coming from an exceptionally distant place.

Huo Zheng’s heart was beating incredibly fast.

He couldn’t believe it as he read He Yunzhou’s invitation over and over again, his whole heart feeling sour, soft, and sweet as if someone was tossing it back and forth in plum juice and honey.

So happy.

Extremely happy.

But at the same time, he felt an overwhelming sense of panic.

There was no doubt that He Yunzhou’s hints were clear this time.

That man wanted to come back to his side again.

Huo Zheng suddenly looked up, staring straight at the panic-stricken lobby manager.

He had conflicting feelings about the person who had caused this mix-up—wanting to write them a check while also wanting to drag them into a corner and give them a good beating.

“Seriously, I made it so clear…” Huo Zheng murmured softly to himself, under the increasingly terrified gaze of the lobby manager.

But if someone could ask to come back to you over something as insignificant as an afternoon tea, it only meant they had this intention all along and were just waiting for an excuse.

The lobby manager, on the other hand, happened to give He Yunzhou this excuse.

“Heh, what a silly fellow.”

Huo Zheng couldn’t help but mutter.

It was at this moment that the lobby manager finally managed to finish what he had been trying to say.

“Mr. Huo, your face is injured and bleeding nonstop. Should I take you to the medical center?”

The lobby manager was on the verge of tears.

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The author has something to say:

Hotel Staff Internal Forum—

Original Poster: Feeling exhausted. Today, my super VIP guest was just standing in the VIP passage with blood all over his face, looking at his phone with his head down, suddenly giggling foolishly, and then staring at me continuously.

Then he even wanted to give me money.

When I got home, I found that my wig was almost bald from the scare. My wife asked me what happened, but I didn’t dare to tell her.

I don’t know what to do, just really anxious.